Yellow
by A Gentle Illusion
Summary: Look at the stars, look how they shine for you. And everything you do. And it was all yellow. // Vaan x Penelo one shot series // CHAPTER 8: It was the most startling love confession he’d ever received in his life.
1. Yellow

_**Yellow**  
Rank 96_

**_  
_**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not, and will never own Final Fantasy 12, or the characters and places in it. I also don't own Coldplay or their song Yellow. I do, however, wish that I owned Vaan... and that he had a sexy voice like the lead singer of Coldplay.  
A girl can dream.  
**

I T STARTED WITH A SONG…

he can't sing, but he'll do anything to see her smile

"Penelo!?" Silence filled the air, creating no gaps in its painful grasp. He looked at her, biting his lip as she turned her head. Her eyes were slanted and watery. Yet she didn't cling to him for comfort as she normally would have. It was the opposite.

"Go away, Vaan," she commanded, her voice cold and sharp. So… un-Penelo-y.

Eyes wide, he shook his head once and made a noise. It wasn't sad, it wasn't defiant, it wasn't happy. It was just a noise. A note in a scale that didn't seem to register.

So he took a few steps back, and watched her walk on alone. He tried to put this into as many different phrases as he could with every step she took. _Alone, without me, not with me, not by my side, on her own… not together._

He turned and began to jog quickly away.

Penelo's brothers were dead now, both of them. She didn't think he understood, but he understood all too well. Hadn't he had a family he'd lost? His parents… Reks… How could he not understand?

Taking a deep breath, he paused in a small alley by Amal's Weaponry and closed his eyes.

When his parents had died… what had Penelo done for him to make him smile again? She had talked to him… she had been herself. She had reminded him that at least, through this, the two of them would always be the same. She did the same thing when Reks was reported dead.

But Penelo didn't want to talk… She didn't even seem to want to see him.

But he wanted to see her… Vaan wanted to see her smile again. He didn't like how she looked at him when they exchanged words. It was so cold compared to the usual yellow warmth she emitted.

_Yellow…_

Didn't Reks know a song like that? He used to hum it whenever he took Vaan hunting with him. Sometimes he even sang it to Vaan when he was down.

"This should work," Vaan said, smiling to himself. He wasn't a singer, but he'd sing for her smile.

**----------------------- -(I wrote a song for you, and all the things you do. And it was called yellow)-----------------------------**

**  
**So there he was. He knew that… if this worked, she'd give him hell for even trying to sing to her. But he wanted her normal. He wanted her smile.

"Penelo!" he shouted. He was standing inside of their home in Lowtown, in front of the door that led to her room. He could hear her in there, sniffling softly to herself. She wouldn't allow herself to cry. Penelo was trying to be strong. He wasn't sure who for though.

Did she really have anyone left but him?

"Penelo!" he tried again, this time knocking on her door. No answer, just more sniffling.

Vaan sighed and decided he'd just go for it. Maybe his voice would give her a giggle or two.

"_Look at the stars,  
Look how they shine for you,  
And everything you do,  
Yeah they were all yellow."_

Vaan smiled to himself as he took a few breaths. He didn't hear anymore sniffling. He wasn't sure if that was good or bad. He continued on, his voice off key and changing pitches every so often. He was horrible, but Vaan hoped it would do her good.

"_I came along  
I wrote a song for you  
And all the things you do   
And it was called yellow."_

Footsteps padded softly, then louder and louder as they neared. He heard something press against the door. Maybe it was her ear, listening. Maybe she was trying to keep him from entering the room. He shrugged it off, and continued on.

"_So then I took my turn  
Oh all the things I've done  
And it was all yellow."_

Finally, the door creaked open, and there was Penelo. Her face was red in a mixture between grief and glee and her hair was tousled and messy. She gave him a weird look, and whispered in a creaky voice, "Vaan?"

He smiled and nodded. But he wanted to get the chorus. He wanted her to smile still… His cheeks were red and hot, yet he knew he would reach his goal.

" _Your skin  
Oh yeah your skin and bones  
Turn into something beautiful  
D'you know you know I love-__"_

Before Vaan could finish the line, Penelo, grinning and laughing, had bounded into his arms.

"Vaan," she said into his shoulder. She was shaking slightly now. "You really can't sing."

"Yeah, I know. But it worked, didn't it?" Vaan queried, stepping back and looking at her.

"It worked."

…**AND ENDED WITH A SMILE.**

**(owari)**

**A/N:** This is going to be a one-shot series. They'll all be Vaanelo. Why? I adore the pairing, okay? And there is sooooo not enough of it around here. I love this two cuties together. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Its the namesake of the series. And also, I'm being kind today, and uploading another with it. Enjoy!**  
**


	2. We Wilt like Violets

**We Wilt Like Violets**  
_Rank 96_

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Final Fantasy 12, or any of its characters or places. I also do not own Thursday, or their song "Counting 5-4-3-2-1."

_All his life he lived in the same house_

_Same white fence surrounding him, he swore he would get out._

_But he can't cause his foot got caught in between the rails_

"I'm going to be a sky pirate," he said, over and over again. To himself, to Penelo, to Migelo, to everyone. And he believed it… for a while.

He just wanted to get out of stupid, stupid Rabanastre. Away from the Imperials, away from the Kingdom, the wars. Everything.

He wanted to be in the skies, where he could be flying free among the birds and such.

He knew it wasn't going to happen, that he was just saying this to get away from the confusion.

He was just trying to get away again. Yet as much as he wanted to, he just couldn't and he didn't know why. There was something always holding him back. A string tied around his wrist that wouldn't let go.

And he was still in Rabanastre, still with Penelo doing random chores for Migelo, still wishing he could fly with her instead of work with her. And he was so afraid that maybe he would be stuck in Rabanastre, forever attached to the ground by that damnable string.

As much as he pulled against the string, no matter how many times he tired to cut it with his prayers, he was still there, stuck in the city that he hated and that hated him.

And yet he was able to be so happy around his friends. Penelo and Kytes and Migelo were probably everything, since his before everything was taken away from him. Well, almost all of it. He still had Penelo, and probably always would. He didn't mind this, he knew she had a string too, and it was intertwined with his.

___This town is full of sympathies; we're drowning in it all_

_"__We're so sorry, Vaan..."_

_"__I know how much she meant to you…"_

_"__I wish I could do something…"_

_"__I'm so sorry."_

'Yeah? Well, me too.'

Their strings had been cut, yet now, a year later, he knew there was a price to pay to be free.

Now his everything, everything that ever meant anything to him, was gone. Sure, he still had Balthier, Ashe, Fran, and Basch. Sure, Migelo and Kytes were still waiting for him to see them at their shop.

But now she was gone.

And it was all so stupid really. How it happened, that is. It was also his fault.

The two were running around Bhujerba, in a back road, when an ordinary Bangaa walked up to them, selling sweets. He offered a new kind to both of them, and Penelo (he knew she had a sweet tooth) accepted quickly.

It was just a chocolate, right?

He paid for Penelo. He knew he owed it to her.

Well, later that night, she ended up falling sick, and by the next morning she was gone.

And it was all his fault.

He knew he was drowning. Who would save him now? Who would be his guide? Who was left to love?

No one

Penelo was all he had left, and now her string, her lifeline, was cut too. It was cut off of him, off of the world, off of everything.

She was gone. There was no need to question it. It was fact.

It didn't take him a while for it to sink in, like it should have according to the books.

As soon as he kissed her cold, lifeless hands, he knew she was gone, and not coming back. His grief was overwhelming, but he wasn't going to cry in public. He'd already cried enough when his parents died, when Reks died. Penelo… He wanted to shed a tear for her. But he couldn't.

Not when he was already drowning in them.

___But it's under the skin, so we wilt like violets._

_Can't get up, to put the petals in their place_

She wouldn't want him to be like this.

But he was so helpless without her these days. Even more so around this time.

It was spring. Her birthday was in spring. He was off in the Salika Wood (she loved it there), battling off fiends ruthlessly, trying to keep his mind off of her.

He stopped, panting, after he defeated another Marlboro. The usually easy task seemed difficult now, like back when he first started his journey.

He hated feeling like this, so hopeless. Like there was nothing to wake up for in the morning anymore. It was his own fault that he was so… lifeless these days. Not hers, never hers.

With a grunt, he jogged towards one of the empty bungalows, hoping the Moogles wouldn't mind him resting for a while.

After setting down his sword, he took a swig of a potion and sat down in a corner, leaning against the wall for support.

"Where are you?" he heard himself ask, and then he had a weird, binding instinct to look down to his left.

So he did.

It was a lone violet, peeking out of a crack in the wall. He crawled to it and stroked its petals carefully, like a precious artifact.

And then, before he knew it, he was crying. He wouldn't cry half a year ago, when it happened. But he cried, gasping, over this one, beautiful flower.

Before he fell asleep in the empty (almost empty) bungalow, he heard one thing.

"Vaan."

**A/N: **I killed Penelo!  
-holds up shield- Don't kill me!  
I totally piled on the angst for this. Sorry. I wrote this a while back, really, and I like it a lot (despite the fact that I killed Penelo).  
I hope the Vaanelo-ness was still there, ya know?  
I'll update as soon as I get struck for a lovely VxP one shot.

-A


	3. I Promise

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Final Fantasy XII or any of its characters and places. I also do not own Taking Back Sunday or their songs.

**I Promise**

_Rank 96_

Dedicated to: Tishannia

"_And I promise you, I promise that  
I'll run away with you  
I'll run away with you"_

_-Taking Back Sunday "Just Like Heaven"_

"Vaan," a voice whispered as its owner shook the boy in front of her.

It was a Wednesday morning, nothing really unusual about it. The sky was clear except for a few feathery clouds. It was warm out, but not too hot. The birds were chirping merrily, creating symphonies with their tiny voice boxes (not like you could hear them from Lowtown anyways).

However, Penelo could not help a feeling of intense excitement bubbling up inside of her. Luckily, she could keep her cool sometimes.

Penelo smiled fondly down at Vaan. He looked so peaceful in between his sheets, his face wiped clear of any emotion whatsoever. An urge to stroke his cheek was fought back, and Penelo continued her task at hand.

"Vaan," she whispered once more.

His mouth twitched then, once to the right and once to the left. He opened his eyes briefly, then closed them shut again. He groaned, and rolled onto his side, facing Penelo.

"Whhmmphhy… Penelo… what?" he mumbled, still not opening his eyes.

"Let's go," Penelo said softly into his ear.

Vaan's eyes shot open as Penelo straightened out. Penelo looked calmly at him, making eye contact. He understood.

* * *

_Flashback:_

_Penelo and Vaan were sitting in a field of dandelions in the Cerobi Steppe. It was a Sunday afternoon. Vaan wanted to get away from the city yet again. _

_Any time he felt like this, the pair went into the Steppes. Vaan liked it here the most out of any of the places they visited. It gave him a sense of calm, despite all of the fiends around. If he was especially angry, Penelo and he would fight them off. Usually, they just left the fiends alone unless they started trouble._

_Today, the fiends were fine, staying as far away as possible._

_Penelo and Vaan were both reclining in the comfortable grass. Penelo was laying on her back, a dandelion in her hand. It wasn't one in bloom; it was a white fuzzy one. She had been looking at it for a while, just thinking to herself. Vaan hadn't spoken yet either. _

_Then the silence was broken just as a gust of when swept past them and blew the dandelion out of Penelo's hands._

"_Hey… Penelo…" Vaan started. He just stared straight ahead, not at anything or anyone._

"_Yeah?" Penelo replied, a little disgruntled that the wind had taken her dandelion away._

"_Let's run away and never come back."_

_Penelo's first instinct was to laugh, so she did. Vaan turned around and looked at her seriously._

"_I'm not kidding. Penelo, lets just go."_

_Penelo took a deep breath, inhaling the crisp air around her. She sat up and looked at Vaan. "When?"_

"_Soon," he replied, and almost lied back down, but something stopped him. He straightened out and turned towards her._

_Soon, Penelo's hands had a dandelion in them, and Vaan's hands were clasped around hers. She looked at the dandelion, then back up at him._

"_Promise?" he asked._

"_I promise."_

_Together, they blew the dandelion once, and all of the seeds flew around them in a whirlwind of white._

_End of Flashback  
_

* * *

"What do you mean?" he asked, even though she knew it was pointless.

Smiling, Penelo took his hand and led him out of his room. "I'll show you."

So they left their ramshackle home in Lowtown. Penelo led Vaan, who seemed a little excited and even more uncertain, towards the Estersand.

They ignored the fiends and jogged towards the river. Penelo walked along the river, a smile hidden on her lips. Her hand was shaking slightly in his as they came upon a raft.

It was a simple raft, yet it was well built and sturdy. It had two bags on it, full of provisions that Penelo had packed a few nights before hand.

When she turned to look at Vaan, she found he was not looking at the raft, but at her.

"I promised you… I'll run away with you," she said. She meant for it to sound bold and confident, but came out as a wavering whisper.

She stared- brown into blue- for a few moments, before she watched Vaan's lips curve upward and part into a grin.

As they stepped onto the raft together, they both felt a feeling of freedom wash over them.

Vaan turned to her.

"Let's go."

**A/N: **Sorry this took a little while to come out with. It was hard for me to find another source of inspiration. This one came in the form of a song again, and a dandelion. I hope it was alright.

And yes, this was dedicated to Tishannia. She was, after all, my first reviewer. )

-A


	4. One Question

**A/N: **Finally! Some comic relief!

**DISCLAIMER: ** I do not own Final Fantasy 12 or any of its characters or places.

**One Question**

_Rank 96_

"Ashe… I need to ask you a question."

A tired and tousled looking Vaan was standing in front of the Princess of Dalmasca. He wasn't quite sure if this was how you should address a princess, but he dropped the thought.

She wasn't exactly a princess to him anyways, she was a friend. Now, at least.

"Is it important?" said princess asked, turning towards Vaan. When he came out, Ashe had been sitting near the fire, staring at it. Vaan took that opportunity to plop down next to her.

"Yeah, I think so," he replied. He ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath. He was trying to find a way to word his question.

"Well, then go ahead. Ask a-" Ashe was forced to stop mid sentence because Balthier walked out from a tent. He looked as he normally did: cool, collected, charming. Vaan wondered how he did it. Balthier had been sleeping, yet he didn't loose any element of his appearance. Vaan, on the other hand, had bags under his eyes and his hair and clothing were messy.

Balthier walked over to the two and sat down opposite of Ashe and Vaan. "I may not be as hip with trends as you two are, but some of us old people enjoy sleep every once in awhile."

Vaan chuckled to himself while Ashe hastily apologized and told him they'd whisper.

"No use whispering now, I'm awake also," a male voice said as its owner crawled out of his tent. Captain Basch Fon Ronsenburg sighed as he sat down around the fire. Though slightly disgruntled, Basch still looked as tough as ever (how come Vaan just couldn't seem to look a specific way all the time?).

"Ah, Basch, how kind of you to join our little gathering. Soon enough, we may even accomplish waking Fran," said Balthier. Basch chuckled a little while Vaan took his turn to sigh.

Would he ever get a chance to ask his question? He came out here to ask Ashe a question that had been burning in his mind for the past three days straight, and now he felt that he'd never get to reach his goal.

Leaning back on his hands, Vaan watched as conversation progressed slowly until Balthier began to lead off into a topic Vaan was interested.

"So," Balthier began, his words flowing and smooth as always, "what is the cause of our rendezvous tonight?"

"Well," Ashe said, as her eyes followed Basch as he poked a stick in the fire, "Vaan wanted to ask a question. Then we were interrupted before he even got to speak."

Basch's hands stopped moving for a moment as he looked up at Vaan. "What kind of question?"

"Umm… A normal question," Vaan said, feeling his cheeks begin to heat up.

"Well, ask it then. Now you have three people to give you feedback instead of just me," said Ashe, smiling kindly at Vaan.

"I guess," Vaan said as he gulped nervously. "Well… I was going to ask you how… one would know that they are in love."

There was silence for a moment, and then Balthier chuckled a bit.

"Are you trying to tell Ashe something?" he asked, smirking.

"No way! Of course not!" Vaan exclaimed, blushing more than ever.

"Well… the pieces fit together. You were going to ask Ashe when she was alone, no?" said Basch. He seemed to be fighting off a grin. Ashe, on the other hand, just sat there, stone faced, taking it like a princess should (or so Vaan thought).

Vaan shook his head in disbelief. "I'm not in love with Ashe, okay? I came here to ask a question; couldn't one of you at least answer it?"

There was a brief pause, and then Ashe spoke.

"You know… that you're in love when you don't have to question it."

Basch gave Ashe a knowing look then, and Vaan was left befuddled.

Did he have to question it? Was he in love with her?

"Well, who's the girl?" queried Balthier after he yawned.

"Huh?" Vaan's cheeks turned red again. "Well… it's this girl… I've known her for my whole life. She's very-"

"So it _is _Penelo," said Ashe with a cheery smile.

"I never said that!" said Vaan, although he and the others knew Ashe's words were true. He sighed and nodded a little in defeat. "Okay, so maybe I did."

For the third time, a silence, this one more uncomfortable than the rest rang out. Until…

"I love you too, Vaan, but can you please shut up so I can sleep?"

**A/N: **You have no idea how hard it was for me not to make this completely OOC and have Basch speak in caveman dialect.

It was a bit of a farce.

I went for comedy in this one, instead of my either complete angst or complete cuteness.

And I added the others too. D Yay! I suck so horribly at writing dialect for Balthier, but I made him talk the most. Eheh… ;

Can you guys see Fran as being a really deep sleeper? She was the only one who didn't wake up. Oh, and I hope I made it clear that it was Penelo at the end, though I gave no indication whatsoever.

Thanks for the reviews! Keep on reading!


	5. Our Secret

**Our Secret  
**_Rank 96_

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Final Fantasy 12 or any of its characters or places.  
**

I've always liked secrets. Not the ones that are mine, of course. Most of my secrets are too embarrassing to mention.

No, I like it when others trust me enough to tell me their secrets. I don't think I've ever "blabbed" one before. So, I suppose, I have a good reputation for anyone that needs to tell their secret to someone else.

I hold so many secrets that I should be overwhelmed by it. I'm not.

My favorite kinds of secrets are the ones that are just held between two people and that's it. But they have to be good secrets, or it destroys the feeling that the secrets are alright to keep.

Right now, I hold one secret that is just between me and another. It's as much my secret as it is his, I suppose.

Although, sometimes I think that it shouldn't be a secret. He feels it, I feel it. Shouldn't we want everyone to know? He's always complaining about how "that brat Larsa" keeps trying to "put the moves" on me. I know he doesn't dislike Larsa, but he dislikes the thought of Larsa and me in that kind of relationship.

If Vaan really wanted to stop Larsa from putting any moves on me, our secret wouldn't be a secret.

Maybe he just wants something to brood over.

It's hard to tell with Vaan sometimes. I'd like to believe that he's extremely easy to read, but he won't let me believe that.

His spontaneity is what started this whole secret anyways. He just decided, while the two of us were walking along the Raseta Strip in the Phon Coast, that he'd kiss me.

It was completely random and out of place too. We were talking about war, for the gods' sakes.

I believe this is how the conversation went right before hand:

"_Vaan, do you think this is all worth it? Doing all of this?"_

"_Mmhm.. sure…" _

"_If there was to be a war, if we don't finish this the right way, where would we go?"_

"_Mmhmm… sure Penelo…" (Now that I think about it, he wasn't really into the conversation anyways. How did I not notice earlier?)_

"_Right! We'd start up another- MMMPPMMPHHH!"_

Honestly, it was quite funny. It would've been funnier had I been standing on the sidelines watching.

I guess it was an instance where I was in my own little world, hearing Vaan say what I wanted him to so the conversation would advance. Oh well.

After he kissed me we stared at each other for what seemed like forever. Unblinking, just staring at each other. I swear we must've stared at one another for no less than ten minutes.

Then he finally spoke.

"_Did I really do that?" He was touching his lips as he said it, as if he really couldn't believe it._

"_Uhh…" Couldn't I have thought of something wittier to say?_

"_I did?" Now his cheeks were red._

"_Uhh…" Again with the caveman behavior. I'm going to need lessons from Balthier on what to say when you're speechless._

_He placed his hands behind his head, elbows sticking out. It looks weird when other people do it, but somehow cute when Vaan does it. _

"_Hmm…" he murmured. Was he really thinking of what to do now? I don't think I've ever seen him be so thoughtful._

_Which was even cuter._

_I looked so much less composed than him. I was just ogling at him, fighting off hormones that told me to go for the kill right then._

_Mind over matter._

_He spoke again. "How long?" I understood, even though it was a rather particular embarrassing question. A secret I didn't want to tell._

_My cheeks were burning. "The third day that we knew each other." I felt like something big and ugly ripped one of its legs off of my chest right then._

"_Oh."_

_Then I smirked, and I was finally able to compose myself. "And you?"_

"_Since I realized Ashe was off limits."_

_Slap._

"_It was a joke! Penelo! Come back here!"_

**A/N: **My god, I'm having fun with these ridiculous endings. This one's pretty short, less than 700 words.

Sorry I haven't updated. For one, I was busy with friends for the past 3 weeks and couldn't find the time. I also had extreme writers block. But no fear! I'll have another chapter out before the 25th. Or, at least, that's my goal.

Thanks for reading, and reviews are /always/ appreciated.


	6. First Date

**First Date  
**_Rank 96_

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Final Fantasy 12 or any of its characters or places. I also do not own Basch's horrible cooking skills. )****  
**

**  
**

This is so cliché. Well, almost. Either your first date has to be completely disastrous, or totally uncomfortable. I'm experiencing the latter.

We're sitting in this fancy restaurant somewhere in the north end of Rabanastre. They're playing some weird music from Arcades and everyone here seems so… _rich_. They talk quietly amongst themselves and the only thing that seems to be louder than that stupid music is their laughter, but that's not even that loud.

Penelo looks gorgeous. Her hair is tied up in some different style, and I like how it shows her neck. Weird fetish, I'm guessing. She's wearing a dress so expensive that I know Migelo hooked her up with it. I don't care. It looks good- she looks better.

Me? I'm wearing a shirt for once. Enough said.

It's been ten minutes since we ordered and my stomach insists on growling over and over. Clearly, it's embarrassing, and I swear to the gods my cheeks are as red as Penelo's dress. I don't think she minds, in fact, I think she's totally absorbed in her nervousness too. Well, I think she's nervous. She _seems_ nervous, but well…

I guess I'm pretty bad at reading people. Okay, really bad, but that's beside the point.

What's not beside the point is the fact that she keep telling me how happy she is that she's here with me and how nice this place is. All I can think about is how uncomfortable this shirt is and how I'd rather be anywhere but here.

The food comes and it looks delicious. I wait for Penelo to start eating (I ran this through with Balthier beforehand. He told me what to do), and I take a bite.

It sucks.

I've had rat stew better than this crap. Honestly.

Penelo tries to keep eating but I know she hates it too. She's grimacing. I lean forward across the table so I can whisper to her like all the other people here.

"Like it?"

She grunts and sighs. "No way. This is sick."

"Agreed," I whisper back. "Guess Basch needed some extra cash." She giggles at the reference to Basch's notorious cooking, and I smile, satisfied, at least a little. "C'mon, let's ditch this place. We can do something else," I suggest, and she nods.

We both get up, and just like that, my foot slips on the floor. My hand thumps down hard on the plate in front of my and whatever the hell we were eating flies off and hits some chick in the face. We both burst out laughing- loud, over-the-top laughter. It's louder than the music and that's a good thing.

I leave a little gil on the table, surely not enough to pay for the shit they excused as food, and we bolt.

Still laughing, we run far past the restaurant and out into the streets. We're catching our breath now, and when I look up, I notice that Penelo's hair fell out and she's sweating a little. Somehow, she's still beautiful to me.

I like this little date a whole lot better now. We're now just walking down the streets of Rabanastre, just talking, laughing, normal stuff for us.

For a moment, I think that maybe she just wants us to be friends, like it used to be. I don't want to just be friends, because honestly? I've wanted this for so long, for the two of us to be _the two of us._

The way she's looking at me right now proves that she feels the same. I give her a grin, and we walk off smiling into the night, unknowing of where it will lead us.

Hey, at least we're not being suffocated by Arcadian prats anymore.

**A/N: Got done with this later than I thought I would. I had to deal with birthday madness, then a busy schedule then- Oh well, excuses excuses, right? Just eh... whenever I set a due date for a chapter, don't believe me. Heh**

**I like this chapter. Mostly because I played around a bit with the point of view and such, but I've been wanting to right a first date thing for the two. And of course, I wanted to make it a horribly crappy first date, because that's life. **

**And yes, I think Basch would be a horrible cook. )**

** Reviews are great.  
**


	7. Coping

**A/N:** Yes, I'm alive and well. You, however, should be furious with me for not updating sooner.

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Final Fantasy XII or any characters or places associated with it.  
**

**Coping**  
_**Rank 96**_

Penelo stood in the middle of her nearly cleared out living room. Vaan called her that morning and asked her to move in with him, no explanation. Penelo, of course, had accepted instantly. She wondered what Vaan had said to Reks to finally let her move in.

Vaan had been asking ever since his parents had died, and all Reks had been saying was, "No Vaan, she's a _girl_, and I'm not leaving you and your stupid perverted fifteen year old body alone with her!"

Not like they were never alone _before_ that.

Penelo looked around the room (or house, really. She lived in Lowtown in a two room apartment) and sighed. She really was going to miss this place, even though she was now going to live with her best friend and his awesome older brother!

The only thing left in the house was a large couch, which Penelo was facing. It was maroon and very fluffy. Her parents had bought it before they died. Penelo had spent many nights on that couch; in fact, she liked it even more than her rickety old bed (which was why she was leaving the stupid bed in the house).

Tired and slightly sweating, Penelo flopped down on the couch, and stared at the ceiling. Living at Vaan's was going to be amazing, she knew it. For one, Vaan had been her very best friend for as long as she'd known him (which was a damn long time). It helped that his brother happened to be one of the coolest in all of Rabanastre.

Of course, the whole bathroom issue could get a bit sticky. What if Vaan walked in on her when she was changing, or had just finished bathing? Or even worse: What if Reks caught Vaan and –

DING DONG!

The doorbell rang out, interrupting Penelo's uncomfortable thoughts. Bounding up, she ran to the door and opening it. She saw a flash of blonde hair and soon enough someone was kissing her.

Penelo's eyes widened as she realized not only that it was Vaan but that his face was very, very wet. And that it wasn't raining. Something was wrong, quite plainly, and if it troubled Vaan, than it was likely that it would trouble her too.

"Vaan, get off, please," Penelo asked, pushing him away from her softly. He was still crying. He looked at her, and in that instant, a great amount of pain seemed to fall over his face.

"It's Reks…"

Reks? What about him? Wasn't he supposed to come home from the war today? Even though they had lost, Reks was still _alive_ wasn't he?

Wasn't he?

"He's dead, Penelo. Reks… _Reks is dead_."

Penelo's hands dropped to her sides with a _thwap!_ against her sides. Shock pulsed through ever inch of her body.

This was so unexpected.

For hours each day, Vaan and she had talked over and over again about what they were going to do with Reks when he got back. Reks… Reks who was so brave… So tough… So unbreakable…

Dead?

It seemed impossible. Reks was the one who fought the monsters in her closet when she was younger. Reks told off all the girls who made fun of her because she always game back from Vaan's with dirt on her knees and cuts on her arms (they had been fighting one another, or fighting the sewer rats for practice). Reks was… Reks was her older brother once her real ones were gone.

Now she had no family.

Vaan was not her family. Vaan was something completely different. And if Vaan was her family, it would be _incest_ and _disgraceful_ and Reks would never allow something like that.

Blinking, Penelo came back to Earth and looked at Vaan, who was so hopeless. His lip quivered, and Penelo realized she'd have to be strong for Vaan.

The couch seemed like the best place to be. Penelo grabbed his hand and maneuvered their bodies through the boxes, and sat down. After a moment, Vaan sat adjacent to her, and they stared at each other for a very long time.

When Vaan's tears finally subsided, he began to speak.

"We were supposed to all _live_ together!" Vaan said angrily. "But he always has to play the hero, doesn't he? DOESN'T HE?" Vaan kicked aside a box (Penelo flinched, it was her photo albums. It was one of the few things she had left of her real family) and stood up, glaring down at her, though Penelo knew he was just mad at himself.

Now, Vaan was shouting, directing his rage at Reks. "HE ALWAYS HAS TO BE THE BRAVE ONE, DOESN'T HE!? HE'S GOT TO BE BETTER THAN EVERYONE! AND NOW LOOK WHERE IT'S GOTTEN HIM!" he exclaimed. Penelo wondered briefly whether the neighbors would hear, but then, she remembered, it didn't really matter. "HE SAID BEFORE HE LEFT… HE SAID… He said…" Vaan stopped and fell back onto the couch. His expression threatened tears again.

"He said, 'Vaan, our family has been carved out of war. Look at Dad, Grandpa, and Uncle Flop. I'm going back to our roots by doing this!' Yeah well, now he is back with his roots… in the ground." He had begun morosely, but he ended with a choking sob. All Penelo thought to do was scoot over to him and sling her arms around his neck.

"Reks didn't die in vain," said Penelo, biting her lip to force her tears back. She'd let them all out later. Vaan was so much more important right then. "Vaan… just you wait, everything will turn around. I promise. In complete darkness comes a tiny ray of hope."

Vaan looked up from her shoulder, his eyes bloodshot and his face still wet. He said exactly what she had been thinking. "_You_ are my hope."

It was true.

They were going to get through this, if only they were together. If they stood side by side and tried to solve this, it would get solved. And who knew, maybe Reks would find some way of communicating with them. Maybe a flower would bloom in the desert. Maybe they would find an adventure. If it was all up to the skies, they would fly it out together.

After all, they were all each other had left.


	8. Mittens

**A/N:** Ahaha, still kicking! Will update sooner. Only two more one-shots left. :( 

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Final Fantasy XII or any characters or places associated with it.**

**Mittens**  
_Rank 96_

"Vaan?"

"Mmmph… yeah?"

"I hate this flippin' snow."

"I know Penelo, go to sleep." 

"…Vaan?"

"Ugh… what? And make it quick, we have a long day tomorrow."

"I love you."

It was the most startling love confession he'd ever received in his life. It was also the only love confession he'd been given before.

It was two-fifteen in the morning and the two seventeen year olds were sleeping (or, trying to sleep) in a tent in the middle of the Paramina rift. They were alone, since Basch had finally caved into their pleads of not needing a babysitter while they slept. Vaan guessed this sudden change of heart was because of the strange noises they heard from the tent Fran, Balthier, and Ashe shared. Needless to say, there were three tends now, and Ashe was definitely not in the same tent as Balthier anymore. 

Because of Penelo's words, Vaan's eyes were now glued open. He stared helplessly at the tent ceiling, in helpless hopes that maybe it would offer a solution of what to say, what to do. However, comprehension was hard at such a late time. He coughed, and tried to slow down his erratic heartbeat. 

"Um… come again?"

"I think you heard me the first time, Vaan."

So, maybe he did- he was just having a hard time understanding it. He began thinking back over their relationship to try to discover what may have caused the onslaught of random emotion.

_Well… once when they were six, he kissed her on the lips. But then she started crying and said something about boys being gross and Vaan's toe cooties. Vaan was a little confused, but he'd only done it because Reks told him to._

_When they were eight, he gave her the coolest find in all of Rabanastre: A foot long night-crawler out of his mom's garden. But she started crying then, too. Looking back, he realized that probably wasn't such a great idea._

_When they were nine he made her a mud pie shaped like a heart. She threw it in his face after declaring how icky he was._

_Later that same year, he gave her two daisies to make up for the previously given bad gifts, only to find out she was allergic to daisies._

_After that, Vaan laid off the gifts for a while._

_On Penelo's tenth birthday (a week after his parents died), he confessed to her that he would rather hang out with her than anyone else in Rabanastre besides Reks. Reks was way cooler than a silly girl, but if he had to, Vaan wouldn't mind playing with her. _

_On his twelfth birthday, he tried the whole kissing thing again. This time Penelo slapped him and gave him a colorful cursing. Reks told him that those toe cooties would be gone by then…_

_When they were thirteen, Vaan punch Tomaj in the face for making a pass at Penelo. He came home that night with a black eye and a broken arm. _

_On Penelo's 15__th__ birthday (a month after Rek's death), he told her tat she was the only one left. He made her promise never to die without him._

_The night Penelo returned from being captured by Ba'Gamnan, Vaan sat in the back of the Strahl and cried. He was so afraid that he had lost her too. She found him crying and told him she would never break a promise she made to him. _

_Penelo cast a nearly unbreakable immobilize spell on a drunk Ashe after she winked at Vaan. Vaan was mostly turned on by this but slightly pissed off because he'd never kissed a princess before and probably never would._

_He gave Penelo his mittens three hours before they went to the tent that night…_

Vaan's heartbeat and breathing were still quicker than they should have been. After his reflections, he realized that he had more reasons to love her than she had him.

"Like… in love kind of love?"

"Yes, Vaan."

"Oh… So… um, why al of a sudden?"

"Because your mittens are really, really warm."

"Are you sure you're not just in love with my mittens?"

"Yes, Vaan."

"Oh."

He flipped over onto his side so he could admire her face, but she wasn't even faced towards him. He was slightly disappointed and put-off by this tiny detail. He thought she would have at least been looking at him when she spilled her guts to him. Grinning, he blew some cold air onto her neck.

"Brr! What was that for?"

He watched her shiver and scratched the nape of her neck. She was still wearing his mittens. It was then that she turned to face him.

The tent, which was already warm due to a few spells Fran had cast over it, seemed to grow hotter as Penelo stared at him. 

After another six year wait, he figured another kiss attempt wouldn't be too horrible. So, as smoothly as he could, he propped himself up on one elbow and looked down at her. His other hand moved to rest on her cheek.

"Can I?"

He wanted to make sure he wouldn't get slapped or she wouldn't start crying. Instead of a verbal answer she just nodded and smiled at him. Slowly, he lowed himself down until their faces were centimeters apart. His eyes stayed open, and her's closed as her lips parted expectantly. For a second he wondered whether she'd ever kissed anyone besides him before, but he dismissed hit. 

He continued to lower his face down until they were kissing in the small, hot tent, and Vaan was pretty sure that his mittens were not the only warm things in the vicinity. They stopped kissing after a few moments, and Vaan looked down at her. 

"Penelo, I think I love y-" He was cut off by a sudden gust of cold air.

"What in the world is going on in here? I _knew _I shouldn't have let you two have a tent by yourselves!" 


End file.
